TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Archaic Oblivion]

I like the dark pads and nature FX at the beginning. It has this really apprehensive, yet also relaxed mood about it. I think you went a little overboard on the white noise effects, but the mood here is great. I wish it progressed a little faster, though. You left yourself a lot of space for contrast and climax that you didn't really capitalize on that well. I know it's supposed to be very laid-back, easy listening, but I wish there was more engaging and melodic content here. It's extremely long for having such little melodic content. Still, for what it is it's not a bad first track at all. The white noise is still the main thing that bothers me. I think you need to both a) equalize it so it's less prominent in the mix and b) add more creative effects to it to make it more interesting. Right now, it sort of just steals the show from what few notes you actually have in there, like at 4:37 for example. I really like the title here, though, and I think you've shown some potential with this track. Tell you what: if you upload another track here that displays a broader skill set, PM me and I'll scout you. Good luck, man! ;)

WazeFaze responds:

Thanks alot my friend! I really enjoyed reding your opinion, just keep in mind that this is not a finished song :P

[Witches' Hut]

I love the oom-pah sort of vibe this has. Awesome melodies, progression, etc. as always. I suppose this is a little more minimalistic than a lot of your other work, and also lacks the structural intrigue of most of your recent stuff IMO, but I still applaud you for uploading content that you don't feel is your best work (which I have to work on myself, so it provides motivation). The rhythms and instruments are cool, though. This piece has a nice flow to it, and I liked the little flourishes you added at several different points (such as :49) to add phrasing and character. The mixing is great, as always. This is one of those tracks that I like more the more I listen to it. I think I'll download it. I download a TON of your tracks though...yeah, wait, I'll still download it. Keep up the good work, Johnfn! :D

johnfn responds:

"The mixing is great, as always"

Heck yeah, I mixed that one instrument SO WELL! :D

[Final Frontier (Infinite Realms)]

I can tell that this is mastered really loudly and clearly right off the bat. It's climactic and cool. I thought that the transition at :20 could've been smoother. There wasn't a lot of lead-up to the addition of that snare. A crash or something would've gone a long way IMO. Still, I love how the harmonies really start creeping in by around the 1-minute mark, and it sounds pretty upbeat, yet simultaneously bass-heavy, which is cool. I found it a little difficult to pick out an emotional height and/or "arrival point" amidst the various textural ups and downs you have here. Still, the piano solo at 2:45 was cool, and I liked the distorted guitar sounds you had at around the 3-minute mark. I also feel that the balance was off occasionally. For example, at 3:40 the bass sort of overwrites the melody. The coda was cool, although the ending itself seemed a bit abrupt. I would recommend adding a sweep or something there, just to make it feel a bit more climactic. Overall, this is pretty solid. Not your best track IMO, but the melodies, instruments, and harmonies are all catchy and cool (as always). Keep it up, DM! ;D

Dylnmatrix responds:

Off the bat, I'm going to agree with you that this is not my best track, by a long shot. This was more an experimental track with everything to be honest. This track was actually one of my hardest to write as I really had no idea what to do with the track half the time. It was also the hardest to master, dear god.

I agree that it's actually really hard to pick our an emotional "height" so to speak. When I said I added a touch of feels, I just meant that the melody and harmony at the 3 minute mark is a fairly emotional melody compared to the first half.

I do have to disagree with you on one thing though. At 3:40, the bass is actually supposed to overwrite the melody for the "electro" drop. The melody is actually only added because the drop sounded so empty with just the single bass playing and is only there for support until the solo comes in. And on the ending, it felt better to me personally to end abruptly. The song is called Final Frontier, and there's actually a (sort-of) short story to the whole album that I could share with you if you wish through PM that (kind of) explains the abrupt ending.

All in all though, thanks for the review. I do actually agree with you on the majority of the track, and I do agree on the parts I countered with too, I just had reasonings to do those. This really, really is not my best track, and it's my least favorite off of the album, but I did have fun writing it and it really helped pave the way to Solar Flare actually existing.

[Metroid Prime Title Theme (Drumstep Remix)]

I think the mixing is solid and the sound design is cool. It was quite slow to progress, though. It's even-textured and climactic into 1:34. I thought you could've done a bit more with the drop. It was hard-hitting, but slow-paced in a way. You also drag the melodic section after the drop on for a bit too long IMO. I enjoyed the glitchy content you started incorporating at around 3:50, though. You could've added a lot more during that second drop, especially as a means of creating some more development. I also thought the repetition at 5:27 was unnecessary, and the fade-out came across as lazy and anti-climactic. I know it's really tough to continue to live up to the standard you set coming off of the contest victory (this goes for just about anyway, btw - not just you), so that's why I want to continue to push you. If you're going to be one of the truly great artists to come out of this site, your work is not done yet. Winning the NGAUC was a good start, and I congratulate you again. And don't get me wrong - this is a good track. I'm just being tough on you because I want to see you continue to improve. Best of luck, man! ;D

trunotfals responds:

AWWWWW well thank you so much for the feedback. i actuallyt started working on this song BEFORE the contest, then just went back to it and mastered it rather than re writing it. Infact, i lovet hat you feel the desire to push me, I like that motivation!!!! maybe ill just re do this!

[Leap of Faith (Infinite Realms)]

I like the heavy, dark piano at the beginning. It leaves a lot of space for climax and contrast. It progresses a little slowly, though. I'm hearing the classic DM-style leads. ;) Also, it sounded like it was really leading somewhere up until around 1:05, but then you stripped away the synths again, making it sound pretty anti-climactic. Generally, I think you could've cut a lot of content in this piece, especially during the first 2 minutes. When you bring on the bass at 2:10 it has an awesome, energetic vibe, although the bass is really up-front in the mix. I suppose I would've liked to see the melodic content take over a bit more at some point before 3:30 or so. I also think the kick might be a bit too loud. In my opinion, the kick (especially if it strikes on every beat) should serve to simply keep the beat going and the energy up, but here it's a little distracting at times. That said, I love all of the melodies, harmonies, and the progression. You might also want to aim for some more dynamic contrast sometime. Creating a re-intro that builds up in a similar way as the first 2 minutes of this piece would be a more effective way of structuring such a long track IMO. Anyway, overall nice work, DM! Keep at it, man. ;)

Dylnmatrix responds:

Thanks man.

I agree that it progresses slowly. Honestly at this point, I've just accepted the fact that I'm not very good at progressive trance or house, as I just like to draw out my ideas too long. Intro is my case in point. At 1:05, when I cut the arp lead out, that's when I actually started the real piano progression, and it's also where I had originally started the track when it had started to be written but nooooo, I had to go and add more to it because I just could.not.stop.writing piano melodies for this damn piece. Then I had to go and add the arp melody because I wanted an ambient electronic synth to support the piano as it progressed to the original intro.

Personally for me, on all the systems I've listened to it on, the bass or kick aren't too loud, they actually balance themselves out with the rest of the synths but it could be the way my system works or the way I EQ my systems outside of my computer. It's actually a million times better than it used to be as well. I think I also just wanted a more bass heavy track, but just didn't execute it as well as I should have haha. It's a problem that was fixed in my tracks by the time I wrote and finished Solar Flare. The way the mix is right now was barely changed from how it was when I originally said I was done with it back in 2013, so that also contributes to it as well.

I'm glad you like the melodies and harmonies though, as that's the point that truly matters to me honestly. Those end up being the parts that I spend the least amount of time on and after I get used to them, I can't change them at all, and I worry that people won't actually like them. (4:08-4:35ish is the only part in this whole track that I truly enjoy and don't care what others think, as that part was so much fun to write and I just love the transition, the way I did the filtering, ugh just everything I did was perfect to my ears.)

Thanks so much for the reviews man, can't wait to see what you think of the others, particularly Blood Moon as you had mixed opinions on it in your two reviews.

[~SW~ 2]

I decided this needed a review. I like the atmospheric intro. It progresses pretty slowly, but I like the instruments. You used just the right amount of reverb. The progression itself is pretty cool. I like the percussion, especially the aggressive-sounding hats at around the 2-minute mark. It's very flowing and spacey, at times soothing and at others strangely angry. The mix is clear, although to be fair there's not a ton of content here to create any mixing conundrums. The ending seemed pretty lazily done IMO, but at the same time I understand that many ambient tracks aren't really supposed to end. ;) I can see what you mean about losing inspiration - you could've done a lot more with this track - but still, love the chill aesthetic. Keep at it, man. ;)

SkyeWint responds:

I could have done a lot more with this. I think at the time I was just intending to have an atmosphere.

Funny thing, the percussion is what most people don't like - especially those hats.

If you want more stuff to be done with a piece though... I finished my NGADM round 2 track!

[Listless]

I like the relaxed mood. It's a bit minimalistic though, and some of your synths sounded a bit hollow and dry, like the one during the intro (0:00). I like that's it upbeat, catchy, and even cute. Kind of sounds like a dialed-back version of "Lucid." Also, do you purposely start all your tracks with the letter 'L?' :P Mixing and mastering is really solid as usual. Texture is well-balanced, if not quite as full as I'm used to hearing from you. I admire your sense of harmony and progression, though. It sounds like something they'd play at a trendy beach-side bar or something. I guess the wave FX at the beginning made me think of that, though...Anyway, overall nice work, Lockyn! Keep up the good work. ;)

Lockyn responds:

Thanks for the review TL :) Appreciate the feedback, been real busy finishing up school stuff. Cheers.

[Tenebrarius]

I like the mechanical wind-up sounds at the beginning. The subsequent reverb-infested lead and cello were beautiful. I think the cello cuts off way too suddenly at :29, though. The mood in this piece is hauntingly beautiful and captivating, but I think you change up the texture of the piece too much during the first minute or so. It has a very fast-paced vibe, whereas I thought it would’ve been better to flesh out some of the ideas you had a bit more. The percussion gets buried in the mix at around 1:15. I love the variety of instruments in this track. The soundscape is beautiful. I wish you had simply connected some of the ideas here a bit more carefully, and some of your transitions seemed a bit rushed, like at 1:50. The chant-like male vocal samples at around 2:15 were cool. They offer this neat call-and-response effect with the more legato female vocals. I thought the synth bass at 3:21 seemed a little out-of-place, yet it did help you transition effectively into the coda. The ending was also enjoyable. You might have needed to consider some dynamic contrast at some point in the piece, yet the phrasing and structure overall is superb (if a little convoluted). Nice work! Keep it up, guys. ;)

9.25/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

I've toooootally over used those wind-up sounds by now. I think it's time to take break from them XD
That said, I do love them.
Yeah, dem0lecule is indeed great when it comes to cello magic! Very good catch at 0:29. Though it might feel like a bit of a nitpick, it's very valid. I didn't notice this at all, and I'm sure that many didn't because of that other sound that covers it up, unless you specifically focus on the cello. Maybe you had an easier time finding that as you actually play said intrument :p

As for your next criticism, I think Phonometrologist's review leaves a nice contrast with:
"The Good: I keep going between .21-1:00..."

I think it's more a matter of taste. This track is intended to be pretty fast and straight on point, except for the intro and outro, and looked that way from the very beginning of composing. The sense of climax close to the end comes more from the way the choirs are programmed, and from the more dramatic melodies, which is why I think that the first minute is actually a nice kind of build-up, as it starts of with the base, and adds something new gradually (although pretty fast, I'll give you that).

As for the percussion at 1:15, I pretty much agree. I think it's more that the overall volume feels a bit low for this piece, so if you're using your standard settings, it might give of an illusion of being even lower than it is. But even so, I think the drums should probably be a bit louder at that part, and perhaps the trumpet and horn a bit quiter. Luckily, the drums are not supposed to be in focus at that point (more backing), so it's not too fatal an error. neBSounds commented about the percussion at that part as well, so we will definitely try to note this in the future!

Interesting comment about 1:50, as I actually think it's a great transition (made entirely by dem0lecule). This whole track essentially is built upon the same backing, repeating several of the chord progressions a lot of times, so we've built a lot on top of it to keep it interesting, and not repetitive. But 1:50 is actually a kind of a short breakdown, removing several of the intruments on top, and connecting the track back to 0:36 (if you listen to the backing). Also, I personally feel that this track doesn't need much in way of melodical repetition, as both the chords and the theme stay pretty consistent throughout.

Yeah! I think dem0 did a brilliant job with the choir chants :D I want to learn to do that some day XD

I actually think that the effect firts pretty well at 3:21, as a similar effect was used at 0:28 (although much lighter), and just as you said, because it leads back to the music box. I guess we could've experimented with some other sound designs as well, but I've grown really used to the current one :p

What represents darkness better than something being convoluted? Convoluted = complicated = hard to understand = fear of the unknown = fear of darkness. Yup. Makes total sense...
As for dynamic contrast, I guess that the biggest ones are the intro/outro, as well as the mini breakdown at 1:50, so I guess we could've had some more here, but on the other hand, I like the current pace and intrumentation of the track.

That said, we'll definitely think about your criticism in the future (as we did between Fantasiamaailma and this), and if my vision of the next track we're making is somewhat in line with the end result, I think the track will be much different than this.

Thank you for the review, and great judging work, dude ;)

[Codename: Michael J Fox (NGADM '15)]

I like the upbeat guitar sound here, although I think you could’ve found a more creative way of introducing the piece than with a fade-in. The drums are a little dry. I think they should’ve been a lot more up-front in the mix, with more reverb too. Compressing them might help. The melodic content in this piece is great, and overall it seems well-structured and smooth-flowing. I like the structural relief you offer at 2:25. However, I think you missed an opportunity to play with the dynamic contrast/phrasing a bit more throughout that breakdown section. I wanted to see a more dramatic crescendo into the next refrain, and also some more interesting mini-phrases so that the entire section didn’t sound so structurally flat. The mood here is really cool. It sounds almost victorious by the end, and I liked your idea of using the tempo automation to wind things down. The very end literally made me groan, though. You should’ve used more reverb and/or echo effects (or at least some sort of volume/filter automation) so that the last chord doesn’t cut off so suddenly. Overall solid work! Hope this review helped. Keep at it, man. ;)

8/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

JDawg00100 responds:

Thank you for the detailed review!